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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Acting Sports Editor
THE Glow Petroleum funded Rainbow Amateur Netball League is expected to kickoff their 2019 season in March after the annual general meeting.

RANL was founded last year by disgruntled but sport loving administrators who were fed up by the lack of professionalism in the Zimbabwe Netball Association (Zina).

The league enjoys a $250 000 sponsorship from the fuel company.

“Our 2019 season is expected to get underway sometime in March soon after our annual general meeting.

“At the moment we are busy working on the financial statements which we hope to present to stakeholders and once that is done we will call for the meeting and then afterwards the fixtures will be released,” said RANL secretary general Moses Gukumere.

For ease of doing business, the leadership of Melody Garikai divided the teams into seven regions namely the Matabeleland North, Southern Region, Central Region, Eastern Region, Northern A and B and one national league. All the games were played on time with no abandoned games.

The major objective behind formation of the league was to bring professionalism to the game as well as to ensure that the girl child’s sweat is rewarded at the end of the day.

Despite threats from the long serving Zimbabwe Netball Association leadership to ban any girls that participate in the league, there was a massive turn up of teams forcing the Sports and Recreation Commission to order the two parties to find common ground for the good of the game.

True to the promises at the formation of the league, there was an awards night in December where regional and national champions were presented with prize money that saw Correctional Services Queens pocketing $20 000 for being crowned national champions while second placed Glow Petroleum Queens received $18 000 with Platinum Queens getting $14 000 for coming third.

The national champions received an extra $500 for having the best defence in the league and the same amount was given to the Platinum Queens after they were adjudged as the most disciplined team.

Christopher Simeon of Correctional Services was named the Coach of the year and got $300 while Nothando Mathe was Umpire of the year and for her efforts she also got $300 with the same amount being given to the Player of the Year Progress Moyo of Platinum Queens.

Irene Mugabe of Flow Angels, Blessing Kahari of Beta Queens and Carolyn Matura of Zimbabwe Defence Forces were joint runners up for Player of the year and each got $100.

Northern region A Division One champions Harare district got $1000, the same amount given to Eastern Region champions Tenax Queens as well as Piston Queens for being winners in the Northen Region B League.

Platinum Angels from Central region, Ntabazinduna Queens from Matabeleland North and Free Stars who are the Southern region champions also got $1000 each.